When life gets in the way…

Hi! Hello stranger, it’s me! When life gets in the way… I have to make a choice; put my energy into blogging OR look after myself (and sleep). Although I do sometimes forget, I’m slowly getting better at remembering that I’m not super woman and I can’t do everything!

Sorry for the radio silence. Being a slashie (aka a person with several job titles – graphic designer /businesswomen /writer /blogger /vlogger /girlboss), I’ve become well acquainted with priorities. Y’know, that thing where you arrange tasks into an order of importance and maybe sacrifice a few due to lack of time/money/other. Oh, there have been sacrifices!

Something’s gotta give

For the past 2 months things have been very quiet around here, so you can probably guess that I chose the sleep. I’ve been so busy working (6 days a week, because who needs a weekend anyway?) that I had to put my online social life on hold for a bit. It’s the longest break in my 8.5 years of blogging, and the hardest. Maybe nobody noticed my online absence but it’s been constantly on my mind. I mean, even my boyfriend (bless him) commented that I haven’t blogged or vlogged for a while… so that’s when I knew it’d been too long!

URL vs IRL

The longer I’ve been away from blogging, the harder I’ve found it to get back into. It’s been a weird experience for me because blogging has been a part of my every day life for SO LONG now that I’ve felt incomplete. I’ve been popping in on Twitter and Instagram when I can but social media is a hard and constant game and I’ll admit that I dropped the ball. Even though I haven’t been posting, blogging has still been on my mind; I see content ideas everywhere and a lot of my IRL friends began as URL friendships. Thankfully I’ve managed to squeeze in some time with my fave ladies (or I just might’ve gone mad), but I’ve turned down and missed Christmas in July events which would’ve been important for me to attend.

Photos c/o Emma Jane Palin

Where’s Bernard’s watch when I need it?

In the past a lot of people have asked me how I find the time to blog – well sometimes I don’t, and that’s ok because like I already said I’m not super human. Bare with me on the repetition because if I keep saying it, I believe it more! ha

As a freelancer/ business owner I feel like I’m switched on 110% of the time; thinking about who my next client will be, my schedule for the next month, my long term goals etc. I’m the only person responsible for making it happen and if I don’t do anything, nothing happens. Last week I celebrated 1 year of being a Freelancer with an Instagram post and was overwhelmed by the lovely comments of support.

I’m honestly so surprised that I made it to 1 year – I really thought I would’ve caved and got a ‘proper job’ by now, like so many people suggested I should. It hasn’t been an easy year, but do I regret it? Definitely not! And I feel like I can still push myself a lot further… BUT enough on that as I’m planning a whole post about my 1st year as a freelancer. P.S. I didn’t even tell you about my part time job yet either…

Am I a designer or a blogger?

I’ve always wanted my design and blogging ‘careers’ to work alongside each other seamlessly, and I do believe they can, eventually. Currently I feel like I’m having an internal battle – am I a designer or blogger? Do I have to choose? Can I be both? In my head both roles can compliment each other… ideally. I’ve not been in a place where I can handle both at once recently, but doing something different takes a lot more time than the norm.

Long time, no speak

So I guess at this point I should explain why I’ve been so busy… not that I feel I need to explain myself to you guys, but because it’s been exciting and I want to share it. Back in February I answered an Instagram call out looking for painters to help colour-loving designer Morag Myerscough. Prior to that I’d only picked up a roller to paint my bedroom, but I loved helping Morag to bring her project to life. Then, a month later she asked if I wanted to come back and paint more – I think you already know my answer. The past 3 months have been amazing, but bloody tiring. My Mum gave me a red boiler suit so I would at least look the part, but now with my achey limbs and bruises (I’m clumsy) I definitely feel the part too!

Alongside 3 other talented creatives (Hannah, Rachel & Ruth) and Morag (of course), I’ve painted hundreds of wooden panels to bring 4 of Morag’s projects to life. Being part of a team again has been SO enjoyable, amongst other benefits of the job. I’ve already shared snippets on my Instagram but I’m planning on writing a post to share all of the excitement with you!

One last thing whilst I’ve got your attention.

I’ve been nominated in the Lifestyle category of the Amara Interior Blog Awards, so if you agree that everyday should be filled with triangles, typography and strong colour palettes then please VOTE FOR ME. It literally takes 5 seconds, I promise. Emma is also nominated (for Best Colour Inspiration) so share some love for her too please and thanks – the quest for EJP & GF world domination can continue… mwahahaha!